22lr revolver - school me

[johnandersonoutdoors]

Hey everyone,

I think I would like to sell my Browning Buckmark and replace it with a 22lr revolver.

Can you please school me on new or old 22lr revolvers? I am looking or hoping for the following:
-3inch barrel at most but I would prefer a snubby
-steel frame but would not rule out alloy
-prefer Smith and Wesson but would not rule out others
-would probably prefer an old gun for the historical value and the fact that they don't make stuff like they used to (currently own a modern s&w model 642 and a s&w model 64-1)


The gun will probably be shared between my gf and I. It will serve for fun plinking and possibly concealed carry for either of us if the mood strikes us.

 

[aarondhgraham]

S&W Model 34,,,

It's a 6-round J-Frame revolver,,,
They are commonly seen with 4" or 1 7/8" barrels,,,
The are the same frame size as the Model 36 Chief's Special.

Used you will spend at least $350 up to $500,,,
They aren't cheap but they are nice.

I named mine Velda,,,
After Mike Hammer's secretary.


Another option is the Charter Arms Pathfinder,,,
These are almost identical in size to a S&W J-Frame,,,
And you can get 2", 4", or 5" barrels,,,
I paid $385 for my new 4" model.

New S&W's are available as the models 317, 317 Kit Gun, 43C, and the 63,,,
The are available new but they are not cheap by any means,,,
Go to the Smith & Wesson website to see these guns.

Hope this helps,,,

Aarond

P.S.

steel frame and slide but would not rule out alloy

There is no slide on a revolver.

.

 

[johnandersonoutdoors]

aarondhgraham,

Thank you for the info. Haha, yeah I meant cylinder but I think I was talking and typing at the same time.

Are there any other models that you know of. Are those 34s pretty hard to find? How do you like it? How is the trigger, is it pretty heavy like my 642 in 38spl? Thanks again.

 

[David E]

The 34 or 63 works. The current 63 is an 8-shot. I'd keep the Buckmark and buy the revolver.

 

[aarondhgraham]

Hello again,,,

The Model 34's aren't especially rare,,,
But they are sought after as good shooters,,,
Right now there are three offered at gunbroker.com,,,
The bad part is that the lowest bid for any of them is $530.00.

I paid $500.00 out the door for Velda,,,
I bought her 4 years ago in a small town pawn shop,,,
Since then I have seen two just like mine come through his store.

They go fast because they are good shooters,,,
And they also went for about the same as I paid for mine.

Mine is well used as I shoot it at least monthly,,,
The trigger is not bad at all but again, it's well broken in,,,
I also have a Model 36 snubbie and it feels about the same to me.

As far as I know,,,
And believe me I'm no expert,,,
Those are the only quality .22 snubbies out there.

You will occasionally see some by H&R, Hi-Standard, and Iver Johnson,,,
But these were second tier guns when they were new,,,
I wouldn't buy one now if I wanted a shooter.

That's about all I have to offer on the subject,,,
I wish you good fortune in your hunt for a good Model 34.

Oh wait,,,
There's one more,,,
It's the S&W Model 43,,,
That's the "Airweight" version of the 34.

I know they commonly came in 3.5" barrel length,,,
I don't know if they ever made a snubbie.

Aarond

.

 

[V-fib]

well, I have a taurus 94 .22lr snubby with CTC lasergrips which I carry around the homestead. not my ccw (642 for that) steel model,9 rounds, not very pretty but very accurate. Never had any problems with it.

My wife carries a S&W 317 .22lr snubby for her ccw. Very light weight, 8 rounds again quite accurate. the cylinder does get a little sticky when extracting spent shells but we just make sure to clean it often. I got one for my daughter at the same time and she likes hers very much too!

good luck on your search

v-fib

 

[Texron]

The Ruger LCR is very nice for about $420.

 

[Paladin7]

Any of the older S&W 22 LR Revolvers, are the way to go...pre-MIM, pre-lock, pre-2 piece barrels...

These guns are timeless treasures.

I was blessed and got a LNIB S&W Model 18 - K Frame 4" Barrel in 22lr. What a great revolver... If you see one at a good price, snap it up! It's a Holster gun though.

Here are the S&W Model Numbers to look out for...based on memory
J-Frame - 34, 35, 43, 63, 650/651 (22 Magnum)
K-Frame - 17, 617, 18, 45
All these are classics...

As to Ruger, the SP101 in 22lr is another good gun and I believe back in production.

Taurus - just do a search on what others are saying about their 22 revolvers from this manufacturer and that should answer your questions about them. As for me, I would accept one if it was given to me.

 

[bikemutt]

I suggest you check out the double-action triggers on various rimfire revolvers before ditching the 'ole Buckmark. I don't find rimfire revolvers to be that great for plinking because they generally seem to have long, heavy double-action triggers.

I do have one I keep around for specific self-defense reasons (S&W 351C) but for plinking, the Ruger 10/22 and Buckmarks are hard to beat.

 

[Jim K]

And remember that most of those had "pre" model guns also, so just because a K-22 is not marked "Model 17" doesn't mean there is something wrong with it - the opposite is probably true.

Jim

 

[mesinge2]

The older 63 is a really nice 6 shooter and has the looks of an m67 but in a J frame:

 

[Ash]

I really like my Colt Trooper Mk III .22lr

 

[CajunBass]

Unlike a lot of people, I've had good luck with Taurus 22s, but all the ones I've owned were "old" ones from the late 70's to the mid 90's. I've got a Model 96 now that was made in the late 70's and I shoot this gun just as well as anything else I've ever owned (and I've owned a bunch of 22's).



That's bigger than what you're looking for of course. I did at one time own a Taurus 94 with 3...maybe it was a 4" barrel, made in the early 90's and thought that was a nice gun too. Someone else agreed with me at the range one day and bought it from me. Shudda kept that one.

 

[22-rimfire]

S&W M34 snubbie and 3" S&W M63. The snubbies sell quickly at fairly high prices. Generally hard to find the 3" M63 at gunshops.
Colt Diamondback 2.5" in 22LR; Really nice gun, but very expensive now. They have been out of production since the early to mid 70's. Mostly collectors are buying them now. The original boxes sell for hundreds of dollars. I recall one dealer at a gunshow offering a box for $100 over 20-years ago.

These are steel frame guns ^^^^.

The most cost effective one now is the Ruger LCR which is a DAO gun. Fun gun, but you have to learn to shoot it.

 

[TennJed]

The Ruger LCR is very nice for about $420.

Love mine

 

[DNS]

Yep.

My 22lr LCR is with me 24/7.

 

[bannockburn]

A couple of years ago I picked up a LNIB Model 34 with a 4" barrel for around $400. Great gun and a lot of fun to shoot. Always liked the Colt Diamondback in .22 but they have become way too expensive for my wallet.

 

[JERRY]

I had a 4" model 63 that I sold off or might have traded away I cant remember. it was a well made gun, but the D/A trigger was adequate at best.

 

[Stainz]

My 3" J-frames, including a now 3 yr old 3" 63-5 and a newer 3" 60 Pro. I like the 60 Pro style grips and have them on my SS J-frames - a bargain, in my book, from S&W Accessories. The 3"-ers were pricey even then, the 63 being $631 new then.



The DS-10 made '63 x8' style speedloader and, not seen, their 4 x 8 loading baseplate, speed up the reloading. I've shot hundreds of Federal 550 pack 36gr pHP's between cleanings with no reloading problems. By the third cylinder full of CCI 'Stingers', however, it will need it's chambers cleaned before you load any more ammo, no matter the brand. It's just like it's 5" x8 63 and 4" x10 617 siblings in that behavior - Stingers are a bit nasty.

I agree with those who say that "They don't make them like they use to!" - but my meaning is the opposite. They didn't make the 63 as an eight-shooter until the 3" 63's predecessor - the 5" 63-4. My 3" 63 came right out of the box with a lighter DA pull than I could manage on my more broken in 5" 63 - which is better than my 'tweaked' 4" x6 651 (.22 WMR), a LNIB goodie from my 'bucket list'. The trio of SS J-frames is shown below, all sporting the '60 Pro' style grips. While I added the green HiViz front sight to the 5"-er, the 3" 60 comes standard with the orange HiViz. The 3" is my favorite - great plinker!



Stainz

PS Prices are still crazy! I saw a newly made 'classic' 48 - a 4" blued K-frame .22 WMR equivalent of my 651 above - with the IL - for $829 new at the same gunstore I bought my 3" 63 from!

 

[22-rimfire]

Yep. My 22lr LCR is with me 24/7.

All the "experts" tell you that 22LR is too small for self defense.

I mentioned the box for the 2.5" Colt Diamondback (DB) 20 years ago for $100.... wish I would have bought it. At least at that time you didn't have to worry about buying repo/fake boxes advertised as genuine Colt. People at that time were still throwing them away. The 4" Diamondbacks were selling for about $400 in excellent condition at that time (with the box if it was available) to put the $100 into prespective. The DB was always my favorite and I focused on the 2.5" after I became aware that they were made. Most didn't even remember they were ever a regular production item (low production DB variation). These days, one in excellent conditon will fetch $3K and a pristine one in the original box might go for as high as $5K. They are beautiful little D-frame revolvers.

Another from years ago is/was the Colt Cobra that was only made with a 3" barrel in 22LR. These also went out of production in the 70's. But they don't garner the prices Diamondbacks do. They had an aluminum frame and a painted finish that tended to be slightly delicate.

The Colt Courier made in the 50's was another 3" low production gun in 22LR.

The Colt Bankers Special 22 (snubbie) made prior to WWII is another highly desireable one. They actually sell for less than the 2.5" Diamondbacks for the most part which doesn't make a lot of sense.

My favorites are the 4" Diamondback in 22Lr and the Colt Trooper Mark III in 22LR. No Trooper Mark III's made as a snubbie. 4" was the shortest barrel length. Fine revolver however and about equal to the S&W M17 or M18 22's.

 

[Taurus 617 CCW]

I have been on a similar quest but believe I have arrived at my idea gun. My first .22 revolver was a single action but that didn't have the appeal that the double actions do. I really wanted to purchase a K frame model 17 but the prices were outrageous. I traded into a S&W 317 airweight kit gun but found out that it was difficult to keep on target being so light. One day when in the gun shop, a customer brought a lightly used 4" 671 (10 shot) for consignment. I didn't even let it hit the counter and snagged it (paying the shop for their troubles of course). It has been a perfect fit for me. My advice is don't compromise. Stick to your list of exactly what you want and you will come across it eventually. The model 63 with a 3" barrel is a sweetheart of a gun. Another one that was not mentioned (not a Smith but still a good gun) is the older Ruger SP101 .22's. They are a heavy built 6 shot revolver that won't wear out in 3 lifetimes.

 

[PapaG]

Recent Taurus 94s are notorious for heavy triggers. Working in a gun store I've seen, handled, and sent in for repair (tuning) dozens. Older ones were better. I've had three 63 Smiths, all accurate but all easily fouled (tighten up as fouling builds up). Early 63s tended to gall, I think owing to the type of stainless used then. I have an old Rossi 51, 6" blue that is, surprisingly, reliable and accurate. Right now, my "keepers" are a 63 4", a new Ruger SP101 .22, that Rossi, and an older Single Six convertible (one of the most accurate .22s in a sporting form I've ever had). If I had it to do over, I'd have kept my 17 and my 18.

 

[aarondhgraham]

Hello Ash,,,

Hello Ash,,,
I know what you mean.

I really like my Colt Trooper Mk III .22lr

I love mine as well,,,
It's a good accurate shooter,,,

But it's definitely not a snub-nose like the OP wants.

I don't ever recommend it for these two reasons,,,
If it breaks it's probably a dead gun,,,
They are very expensive.

I shoot mine quite often,,,
It's my preferred bunny hunt handgun,,,
But I know that repair parts for it are near non-existent.

That is just the reality of owning and shooting Colt DA revolvers.

Aarond

.

 

[aarondhgraham]

My best reccomendations to the OP,,,

If you can find either of these guns,,,
They will be perfect plinkers/trainers for you,,,
Both of the S&W Models are built on their small J-Frame.

4" Model 34 or a 4" Model 63,,,
The Model 63 is made of stainless steel,,,
The Model 34 is steel and either blued or nickeled.



The one on the left is a 4" Nickel plated model 34 with a round butt frame,,,
They are just as easily found in a square butt frame,,,
Different grips can give the square butt feel.

The one on the right is a 4" Model 63 with a square butt frame,,,
It's stainless steel and wears over-sized target grips.

Either of these guns are great shooters,,,
Either of them will last a lifetime if properly cared for.

One other one to be on the lookout for is a S&W Model 18,,,
It's built on their medium sized K-Frame,,,

I've never seen a snub-nose 18,,,
I've only seen them in 4" blue.

Aarond

.

 

[19-3Ben]

As far as I know,,,
And believe me I'm no expert,,,
Those are the only quality .22 snubbies out there.

I think the Ruger SP101 is a good quality gun, whether the old version or the new one.
Similarly, and I know it's new and the OP said he wants something a little more "vintage" but the LCR is nice in its function. I'll admit it doesn't have a beautiful craftsmanship/fit/finish of the older guns.